Bicycle handle-bar.



. Patented Apr.- 22, I902. J. Y. PORTER. BICYCLE HANDLE BAR.

(Application filed Mar. 16, 1901.)

(No Model.)

INVENTOR ZaZITNESSES' I m: NORRIS PETER? cu, Pram-Quinn, WASHINGTON u c,

Nrrn STATES JOSEPH Y. PORTER, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

BICYCLE HANDLE-BAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 698,137, dated April22, 1902. Application filed March 16, 1901. Serial No. 51.468. (1 lomoclr-.l.)

T0 on whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OSEPH Y. PORTER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Detroit, county of Wayne, Stateof Michigan, have invented acertain new and useful Improvement in Bicycle Handle-Bars; and I declarethe following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itpertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to bicycle-handles, and has for its object animproved means for connecting the two parts of a jointed handle with ahead adapted to be inserted in and secured to the steering-post of thebicycle in such a way that the handles may be adjusted to differentvertical angles with respect to the steering-post. When reversed, thehandlebars may be again adjustedin a'similar way at different angleswith respect to the steering-post. j A

A further object of the improvement is to bring about such adjustmentand still retain the necessary solidity or rigidity of thebandles with respect to the steering-post, so that there may be minimumliability to accidents from the handles becoming either loose oraccidentally slipping from their adjusted position. 7 In the drawings,Figure 1 is a horizontal cross-section through the head of asteeringpost, the section being taken at the line a; a; of Fig. 2. Fig.2 is an elevation showing the head with one steering-handle removed andwith one steering-handle in place but partly broken away. Fig. 3 showsthe abutting or engaging ends of the two parts of the handle. Fig. 4 isa side elevation of the assembled parts. In Fig. the handle-bar issectioned. Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view of the clamping cam-lever.

The head may be arranged to be secured to the steering-post in anyapproved way. Only the upper part ofthe head is shownin the drawings.The lower part,-which is usually brazed to this and provided with asplit tnbular continuation, arranged to be held in the post by anexpander, is not shown, as the means of securing the head to thesteeringpost forms no part of this invention.

that reaches from that'part a to which the tubular continuation isbrazed. The head A is made in the form of a concave plate havin g alength nearly equal to twice its vertical breadth, and the ca vitywithinit forms a re ceptacle from which project two pins and in which there isreceived a plate perforatedat two points. This plate may be either theplate 2 or the plate 3. The plate 2 is provided on one face with twoseries of radial teeth, between which there are notches, and concentricwith each series of teeth is a hole 2 2",. and the two holes 2 and 2 arespaced properly to allow the "plate 2 to be placed in the cavity 4, withthe two pins 4: and 4 projecting through the holes. The two pins 4 and 4are firmly secured to the head A. A second plate 3, similar in sizeandshape to the plate 2, except that it is not provided with teeth andnotches, is also provided with holes and is arranged to engage over thepins 4 and 4}. Each of the pins 4 4? is provided at its outer end withmeans for supporting the trunnion-pin or fulcrum-pin 5 of a camlever 5.The means forholding the pin to the post may be any one of severalequivalent means, the one which is shown in the drawings beingconsidered an approved form, and in this means there is in each pin 4and crum-pin 5. The two slots in the two pins are placed in alinement,and the fulcrum-pin is dropped into place, and a nut is run down on thethreaded end of the pin. A cam-lever or bent levero" is mounted on thefulcrumpin, which is engaged in the slots 6 and 6, and the long arm ofthe lever extends downward and the short arm 7 is arranged against theplate in the way hereinafterdescribed.

Each section of the bicycle-handle is provided at its inner end with anarched rack concentric to the hole 8 or 8, and it is also provided onone face withv a circular row of teeth between which there are notches,and

these teeth and notches are arranged to en-- gage with the teeth andnotches on the plate 2. Inside the teeth and notches oneach section ofthe bicycle-handle is a shallow recess 9 9, spaced from the hole 2" or 2by a bearing 8 8. In the chamber formed by the two 7 The head A ispreferably on a bent neck a,

42 a slot sunk into the post and presenting an opening therein for thereception of the fulrecesses 9 or 9 is placed a spring 11, which tendsto force the teeth on the face of the one part out from engagement withthe notches between the teeth on the face of the other part.

A pressure-screw or set-screw 12 is inserted through the walls of thehead A and bears against the back of the plate (which plate may beeither the plate 2 or the plate 3) in the cavity.

In operation one of the plates is placed in the cavity in the head A,the handle-bars are slipped over the pins 4 and 4:, with that side ofeach bar presented to the plate which corresponds to the plate-that is,if a smooth plate the smooth face of the handle-bar is placed next toit. If the toothed plate is inserted, the notched face of the handle-baris placed next to it. The other plate follows, and this is followed byplacing the pin of the cam-lever in its socket and screwing the nuts onthe ends of the pins 4 and 4 to hold the cam-lever in place.

In Fig. 5 is shown a means to prevent the cam-lever from flying from itslocking position in consequence of any sudden jar or wrench of thevehicle. The pin 14, on which the cam-lever turns, is made withslabbed-ol'f ends that engage in the sockets 6 and G and is providedwith a notch 1i. Along one side of it a spring-pawl 15 is inserted inthe arm of the leverin a hole bored into the lever for that purpose, andthe pawl 15 is provided with an actuator 16, that extends out at theside of the lever. The pawl is held by the spring 17 against the pin 14,from which it can be withdrawn by pulling back the actuator 16.

In operation the set-screw 12 is given a short turn preliminary to theuse of the cam-lever. \Vhenever it is desired to change the angularityof the sections of the handle, a slight turn of the set-screw 12releases the cam-lever, so that it may be turned to completely free theengagement between the notched faces of the handle-section and thenotched faces of the plate. pliance, the main purpose of which is totake up the slight lost motion or slack that must be allowed in thedevice in order that the cam-lever may pass its point of greatest strainand reach a point where it is itself locked in position because it haspassed that point. The cam-lever is used in preference to using thescrew to entirely separate or operate the plates and the handle-sectionin binding them together or in releasing them because it acts quickerand because also it is not so liable to work out of place as is theset-screw. The slight loosening of the screw would not be followed by adangerous loosening of the handle-sections on the pins; but it would befol lowed almost immediately by a slight looseness that would warn theuser of the fact that the screw was loose, while the cam-lever willstill hold the parts secure enough to prevent any injury to theoperator. Either the screw The set-screw 12 is a safety apalone or theleveralone may be used; but I prefer to use both in a single structure,for the reasons above given.

lVhat I claim isl. In combination with the head of a bicyclesteering-post provided with a cavity and with two journal-pins securedto the head and projecting through said cavity, a pair of handle-bars,each of which is provided on its inner end with arched racks, and withan annular row of teeth, a pair of plates adapted to engage over thejournal-pins and one of which is provided with a double set of annularteeth adapted to engage with the notches beeween the teeth on thehandle-bars, and means for securing the plates to the posthead with oneof said plates engaging in the cavity, both of said plates beingremovable from the post-head, and reversible with respect to thepost-head, substantially as described.

2. In combination with the head of a steering-post for bicycles, whichis provided with a pair of journal-pins, handle-bars provided witharched racks, the handle-bars being adapted to engage over thejournal-pins, and the arched racks being adapted to mesh together, apair of plates adapted to engage over the journal-pins, said platesbeing removable and reversible with respect to the post-head, andarranged to engage on each side of the intermeshing ends of thehandlebars, a cam pressure-lever.having fulcrum engagement with thejournal-pins, and con1- pressing engagement with one of said plates,substantially as described.

3. In combination with the head of a steering-post for bicycles which isprovided with a pair of journal-pins, handle-bars provided with archedracks, the handle bars being adapted to engage over the journal-pins andthe arched racks adapted to mesh together, a pair of plates both ofwhich are removable and reversible with respect to the post-head, andwhich are adapted to engage over the journal-pins arranged to engage oneach side of the intermeshing ends of the handle-bars, a campressure-lever having a fulcrum engagement with the j ournal-pins andcompressing engagement with one of said plates and an adj listing-screwarranged in the post-head to engage on the side of said plates oppositethe cam, substantially as described.

4:. In combination with the head of a steering-post for bicycles whichis provided with a pair of journal-pins, handle-bars adapted to engageover the journal-pins provided with arched racks and with holding-teeth,a pair of plates removable from the post-head and reversible withrespect thereto adapted to engage over the journal-pins and arranged toengage on each side of the ends of the handie-bars, one of said platesbeing provided with teeth adapted to engage in the notches between theteeth on the handle-bars, springs interposed between the plates, andmeans for I0 engaged and held with either plate contiguous to thepost-head, one of said plates being provided with teeth adapted toengage in the notches between teeth on the handle-bars, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof I sign this specifica- 15 tion in the presence oftwo witnesses.

JOSEPH Y. PORTER. Witnesses:

CHARLES F. BURTON, MAY E. KOTT.

